THE MORE THINGS CHANGE - PILOT OUTLINE

Written by Alan Loeb, who just sold his script for Collateral Beauty for over 2 million dollars. His production company is co-owned by Ryan Reynolds and has a first-look at Fox. 

​1. At a wedding - the best man, RICK, and a rakish, obnoxious groomsmen, BLAIR, discuss their friend who's just gotten married, WAYNE. Blair is upset. 
2. At TABLE 1 - Rick now talks to another groomsmen, the nice guy, NESBY. Nesby wishes he were married - calls himself a "married living in single hell." They both look over at Rick's ex, the stunning bridesmaid MADELINE. We learn that Rick has a problem with commitment.  Wayne approaches and gives them the rundown on the single women there. His new wife, DIANNA, shows up and tells Nesby to talk to BRENDA, a bridesmaid who will likely cry after sex. Dianna harasses Wayne about his ugly goatee. 
3. At the bar - Madeline confronts Rick about why he broke up with her. She doesn't buy his reasons. 
4. At TABLE 32 - Rick talks with his parents. They want him to get married. Dad wants him to produce a male heir. Dad is uptight and angry guy with high blood pressure. The parents inappropriately reveal that Dianna and Wayne slept together for the first time in Rick's parents' bed: "And they would have gotten away with it if not for the blood." This seems trivial but shows the closeness that these friends have shared for a long time. 
5. Outside the reception hall - there's a construction sight. Rick walks around, then stops and leans against the scaffolding. A huge steel girder falls and almost kills him, which makes him utter the revelation: "I'm gay." 
6. In Madeline's apartment - Rick confesses to her before anyone else. He's gay. She says this makes a ton of sense, but intimidates him with her desire to be his "fag hag." She also reveals she feels WAY better about their breakup now. 
7. In Blair's loft - the guys hang out. Wayne and Dianna aren't on a honeymoon, because Dianna wanted a dining room table instead. Nesby tried to sleep with Brenda who cries after sex, but she cried before sex so he paid for her cab home. There is banter, then Rick blurts that he's gay. The guys don't accept this. They are confused/ self-righteous/ in denial. 
8. Rick and Nesby's apartment - Rick is upset. He tells Nesby he doesn't know how to tell his parents. Nesby assumes Rick will want to move out, and they cover the question of "Did Rick ever have a crush on one of us?" Nesby is ultimately very understanding, even jealous that Rick will no longer have to deal with the perils of dating women. 
9. Wayne and Dianna talk about Rick's thing. Dianna thinks it makes sense, but Wayne's still in denial. Dianna wants Wayne to quit his job as a jingle writer. Wayne is annoyed that she wants him to change so much about himself. 
10. In a trading office - Rick and Blair work together as a traders. Blair is outright hostile to Rick about his sexuality. 
11. Blair's loft - Wayne and Blair express concerns about Rick's sexuality. What if he hits on us? They talk about past memories in which Rick's behavior could be construed as gay. This again shows their long history. Nesby defends Rick:  "He needs us right now!" 
12. Rick's apartment - Wayne and Nesby show up. Blair's still not ready. Wayne and Nesby have come to take Rick to a gay club. 
13. Outside the gay club - the friends reveal they want to help Rick "know for sure." 
14. In the gay club - lots of gay men. One of them compliments Wayne's goatee, which makes him unhappy. He leaves. Nesby and Rick discuss how Blair is not speaking to Rick and how it's not cool. Nesby meets a hot woman named AMY. Rick runs into a guy from his softball league, Nate. Neither knew the other was gay. 
15. On the dance floor - Nesby dances with Amy. She loves him, but thinks he's gay. 
16. At the bar - Rick has just bared his soul to Nate, who is in disbelief that Rick has never even kissed a guy. A queen comes up and kind of "tests" Rick's gayness. Rick doesn't pass, he likes sports not musicals, etc. After Rick flubs it, Nate leaves, but Blair shows up. Blair is crass and keeps saying fag. But he's here, and he's trying to make the effort to support his friend. Nesby shows up with Amy's number. He loves her, but she doesn't know he's straight. Wayne returns, having shaved his goatee at a nearby Rite Aid. 
17. Outside the gay club - the guys eat hot dogs from a street vendor. Blair says he realizes he needs to have Rick's back, because Rick has always had theirs. Nate comes out of the club and wants to talk to Rick. 
18. With Rick and Nate - Rick says, I thought you left because I wasn't gay enough. Nate says no. Rick breaks down and gets upset about all this new gay stuff he has to deal with, and Nate comforts him. Then, they kiss. 
REVEAL: Rick's friends watching. This is too much, too fast for them. Their friend kissing a guy challenges their very recent acceptance. But when he looks over at them, they smile and wave. Rick goes back into the club with Nate. 


LESSONS: I kept reading this script because it had a nice twist. I was expecting a very similar story to ones I've read before - a group of friends, some happily single, some in relationships, some looking - but instead, one of them has a major revelation about his identity and sexuality, and that challenges everyone in a way I hadn't seen before. It makes everyone sort of do a double-take at their own reflection. Even though the question of sexuality wasn't always handled as maturely or thoughtfully as it could have been, there were some great moments, and the story left enough open-ended questions (when will Rick tell his parents?) that I wanted to know more.